Machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet-l.

0, R. P. SAUNDERS.

ROPE SERVING MACHINE. i No. 338,677. Patented Jan. 5,1886.

j W k "T UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES R. P. SAUNDERS, OF BOSTON, MASS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MOSES H. VVEBBER AND ALFRED T. SINKER, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

ROPE-SERVING MACHINE.

SPECEPICATION forming part. of Letters Patent N0.333,677, dated January 5, 1886.

Application filed March 3, 1884. Serial No. 122,793. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. P. SAUN- DERs, of Boston, county of Sufi'olk, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Rope-Serving Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

Ropes both of fibrous material and metal to used on shipboard and for other purposes are wound closely with spun yarn. This class of rope, known as served rope, has generally been produced by hand and slowly; and to do. this class of work rapidly and better than by [5 hand I have produced a machine which I shall hereinafter describe, and the particular fea tures in which rest my invention will be pointed outin the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1,in side elevatiou,represents aropeserving machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2isasection in the dottedlinexzrof Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a diagram to be referred to.

The carriage 0, provided with suitable wheels, 2, to run on atrack, 3. has a main shaft,

C having an attached wheel, C, about which is placed at least one turn of an endless belt, 0*, passed about a sheave, 20, at one end of the rope walk or loft, and about a driven pulley, 22, at a distance therefrom, as represented in 0 the diagram, Fig. 3,which shows thesaidparts and part of the carriage. The shaft G has a bevel-gear, 5, which engages a bevel-gear, 6, on and rotates a short shaft, 7, having attached to it a flier-driving pulley, 9, and a'bobbinwinding pulley, 8, to be described. A belt, 9, extended over the pulley 9, is also extended about a pulley. g, on ahollow shaft orspindle, B, heldin bearingsa a ofthe carriage O, and rotatesthe said shaft and itsattached flier 0 .pro-

40 vided at one end with aservingblock orpresser, h, attached to the said flier by rods h. The hollow spindleB also receives upon it loosely, but Within the flier, the spool d, on which is wound the spun yarn f, and the said yarn is led from the said spool over a traverse-block, h, on a leg, 0 of the said flier, thence over a sheave, 12, and thence through a throat, 13, in the serving-block or presser h, (see Fig. 2,) the yarn f being delivered therefrom directly upon the rope A. The flier and bobbin have between them a drag or friction device, m, herein shown as a spring attached to the leg 0 of the flier, and resting upon the flange of the head of the spool d with suflicient force to r0- tatethe spool in unison with the hollow shaft and its flier, except as the strain of the spun yarn being wound about the rope A by the flier rotates the bobbin onits own axis, to thus deliver the spun yarn. This drag or friction device m may be made to bear against the said spool with more or less force, to thus produce tension sufflcient in amount to insure the delivery of the spun yarn upon the rope A with ameasured degree of tension, dependent upon whether or not the yarn is to be wound there on more or less closely-the greater the pressure of the said drag or friction ,device upon the head of the spool the closer the winding. One head, d, of the spool is grooved for the reception of belt a, driven by pulley 8, the said belt being used, as shown in dottedlines, only when the spool is to be filled with spun yarn, thus obviating the removal of the spool from the flier frame or spindle.

When the parts described aretobe operated, the rope A will be led through the hollow guide D and through the hollow spindle B,and the said rope, attached to suitable supports, preferably tackleblocks, will be stretched taut in the walk or loft. The rope having been stretched, the spun yarn in the throat of the serving-block or presser will'be attached to the rope and the machine will be started, the wheel 0 being driven at the proper speed by the belt 0.

The serving-block or presser h is composed, preferably, of a central piece or block, 23, of hickory wood, (but it may be of other hard wood or metal) and an outer frame or ring having screws 24,, by which to hold the said ceno tral portion or block in place. The central portion or block has a central opening of suitable size for the passage through it snugly of the rope to be served.

As the yarn suitably barred is Wound upon the rope, each layer or coil is forced closely against the nextpreceding coil or layer, and it is the action of the coil of the yarn beinglaid against the coil just laid that forces the carriage in the direction of the arrow along over the rope A.

In Fig. 1 all that part of the rope at the left of the serving-block or presser h is shown as served. In order that the successive coils of the spun yarn may be forced or compacted together closely, the spindle B at its rear end is provided with a clamp or carriagerctarding device. (Shown as composed of two jaws, 0, made adjustable by screws 0'.)

In case of very large rope, the hollow spin dle B will be divided longitudinally in two pieces, as indicated by the lines B, Fig. 1, in order that the spindle may be opened, to permit the rope to be laidiu the spindleinstead of being pushed through from end to end.

I do not broadly claim a hollow spindle, spool, and flier to wind athread or wire about a traveling core.

My invention is of special service in navyyards, rope walks, and other places where lengths of rope are to be served, and by an apparatus such as described new or old rope in any desired lengths, short or long, may be served quickly, closely, and economically.

l. The carriage O, mounted upon asuitable way, the hollow spindle 13, arranged to rotate in bearings therein, a pulley on said spindle and means to rotate it, the flier 0, attached to said spindle and containing a spool, and the serving-block h, connected with the flier, combined with the clamp or retarding device 0, substantially as shown and described.

2. The flier 0, having theleg c and connected serving-block It, the spool 11, and traverse-block If, and sheave 12 on said leg, combined with the carriage O, spindle mounted therein, and means to rotate said spindle, substantially as described.

3. The carriage C, the hollow spindle 13, mounted therein, provided with a pulley, g, belt pulley 9, and means to rotatethe latter, combined with a flier on said spindle containing a servingyarn spool, a friction device or drag, an, engaging the said spool, and a servingblock or presser, h, driven by said flier, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES R. P. SAUNDERS.

\Vitnesses:

G. WV. GREGORY, \V. H. SIGsToN. 

